The Race
by Jenni Juniper
Summary: Every year, 100 physically fit men between the ages of 20 – 25 are drafted to participate in a contest called the Race. The rules are simple. If you stop running, you get warned. After 3 warnings, well, let's say there won't be another. The last man standing will be the winner. Will it be you? AU, multiple OC's. 13x9, 6x9, 1x2 Warnings: character death, profanity, lime, violence
1. 500 miles

**THE RACE**

"But I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, just to be the man who walks a 1000 miles to fall down at your door"

(The Proclaimers – I'm gonna be)

Every year, 100 physically fit men between the ages of 20 – 25 are drafted to participate in a contest called the Race. The Race is held annually to remember the Colonies' uprising against the Earth Sphere Alliance. The prize is the grand total of 10 million dollars.

The rules are simple. The contestants compete against each other, but not in speed, (although a minimum of 6 miles an hour must be maintained at all times.) the Race is more a contest of both mental and physical strength and endurance. If you stop walking, you get a warning. After three warnings, well…let's just say there won't be another. The last man standing will be the winner. Will it be you?

**Chapter One:**

500 miles

* * *

I.

April 16th, A.C. 196

"What do you mean, I don't have what it takes?" Lucrezia Noin slammed her fist on the desk in front of her in frustration, almost knocking over an empty coffee cup. Without blinking an eye, duke Dermail deftly caught it. He raised an eyebrow.

"I did not make the rules, lieutenant. The rules are there for a reason. All participants must be male, between the ages of 20-25, in excellent physical condition. As a woman, you simply don't stand much of a chance, because the men are naturally stronger. That's just biology, nobody is plotting against you."

"I know that. But you're the highest authority. You can give me special permission to enter the Race. I heard one of the guys dropped out."

"I know you know that already. You're asking to be the exception to the rule, but I'm telling you that it's no use letting you participate in the Race. You'll burn out in less than a day."

Noin could feel herself getting angry.

"I can do this", she said calmly. "I'm at the top of my class, and after all I've done for the organization, I deserve a stab at this. I really believe I can win, sir."

"I can see you're in good physical shape." He gave her tall, slender figure a long look. He could understand why his boy Treize was so smitten with her.

"But how long could you keep on walking? Last year's Race lasted almost a full 5 days. One of the men crawled for miles on his bloody hands and knees when his legs finally collapsed."

Noin's eyes widened in shock, but the duke seemed completely unaffected by this mental image.

"Can you do this, Lieutenant Noin?" A cruel little smile formed on the duke's lips.

Lucrezia stared at the floor, searching for the right words. What could she say? While they sat in silence, the duke absentmindedly glanced at the sheet of paper on his desk containing the names of this year's contestants.

There _was _an empty spot, the lieutenant has been right about that, she obviously did her homework. A young man named Trevor, not more than a boy really, had called him the night before and practically begged him to remove his name from the list. He had been scared to death, the poor soul.

Suddenly, a name caught his attention. Number 75 was Zechs Marquise. That explains it. Because of her close friendship with Treize, duke Dermail knew enough about Noin to know that they've been dating for years. If Zechs wanted to jump off a building, she'd be the first to follow him. Apparently she hadn't been able to talk him out of participating, and wants to die by his side. _How very romantic._

"Does this have anything to do with Zechs Marquise?" He asked kindly.

"What? N-No, not at all, I haven't seen him in almost two years. What gave you that idea?"

Her light blush and horrified expression gave her away; of course he was right, he could read her like a book. He sighed. This was a bit of a dilemma. He had no qualms about letting Lucrezia Noin participate in the Race, she was in no worse shape than some of the skinnier men, but if Treize found out he had given his precious little darling permission to enter the Race, however, he would never forgive him. He had such high hopes for Treize, and ever since his parents died when he was still young, he considered him his son.

But this was the perfect excuse to get rid of her once and for all, mainly because _she_ was the reason his cousin was turning 27 next August and was still not married to a woman of suitable breeding.

"Then, it's settled!" He signed her documents with his autograph in his graceful, curly print.

"Congratulations, you're now the official replacement for the dropout, contestant number 42." He held out his hand, and she shook it. She had a pretty firm grip, for a girl that is. The duke then motioned for her to come closer. With her face inches from his, he stared straight into her dark eyes.

"Lucrezia, let's keep our little arrangement to ourselves. Treize need not know about this."

"I understand. I won't let him stop me."

"Very well. One last thing, Lieutenant. Don't expect any special treatment the moment you cross that starting line tomorrow." His icy eyes met hers once again, and the sunlight illuminating his face removed every doubt that he was joking. He was dead serious. "You may go now."

He let out a sigh of relief when she finally left. Lucrezia Noin was unlike anyone he ever met before, and he didn't like it one bit. She was a nuisance, and the problem was about to solve itself. He folded his arms behind his head. A small smile spread across his face. This went better than expected.

* * *

Just as Noin was about to leave the office and head back to her quarters to rest up for the big day tomorrow, Treize caught up with her. His blue eyes lit up when he saw her, and he looked handsome as ever.

"Lucrezia, I'm so happy to see you. I was just looking for you."

"What a coincidence, I was just about to look for you too."

His smiled at her brightly and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. She and Treize had been seeing eachother for the past ten months, and just as she'd convinced herself she was starting to feel happy with her life the way it was, Zechs came back from the colonies and signed up for a contest that would very likely result in killing him.

He'd been back for 4 days and 8 hours, but hadn't attempted to see her at all. She was sure Treize was aware of his return as well, and he tried desperately to avoid the subject. She knew he was afraid of being left, and maybe he was right. She tried to forget about Zechs, and succeeded fairly well, with him being in outer space, and having Treize by her side every day. But he was still there, in the back of her mind he never really left.

They spent the rest of the day together. They've always been close, and it sure felt good to spend some quality time with him the night before the Race. Treize had the ability to always make her feel better, no matter what the problem was. She hadn't brought up the subject of Zechs and wanting to be in the contest, and didn't plan on telling him. So instead of heading home to get a square meal and catch a couple of hours of sleep, they watched movies, ate whatever they wanted, and never kept their hands off eachother.

Noin had the uncomfortable feeling that every kiss they shared would be their last, there might not even be a day after tomorrow for her and she knew it. She wanted to be as close to Treize as humanly possible. He apparently had the same thing on his mind, and when he kissed her, she responded by kissing him back passionately and running her hands over his strong, handsome body.

When the kiss deepened Treize let out a soft moan as Noin pressed her body closer to his. Noin slowly slid out of her uniform jacket, dropping it on the bedroom floor. He ran his fingers all over her pale skin.

"I want you so badly. you know I love you, right..-"

Noin shut him up by kissing him again. "You talk way too much..."

Treize gasped as she slowly started to undo his pants and led him to the bed. Not wanting to wait a moment longer, he pulled her under him, slid down her pants and made love to her. With every push bringing them closer to the edge, it wasn't long before an indescribable sensation filled Treize, temporarily making him forget the war, his name, and nearly everything else in the world besides the person he loved.

"I love you, just you, Lucrezia," he whispered in her ear as he drifted off to sleep in her arms, with his head on her chest. "I will always love you."

He stirred lightly when she left a soft trail of kisses on his neck and face, and gently brushed a strand of his soft chestnut brown hair out of his eyes.

"Listen Treize, about tomorrow...There is something I wanted to tell you," Noin said softly. But the regular, shallow breathing of her lover informed her he was already fast asleep, before she could even finish her sentence. Maybe it was for the best.

_'I almost wanted him to stop me.' _After a good while of tossing and turning around in the oversized bed, she finally settled into a fitful sleep, filled with dreams about Zechs, and an endless road. No matter how fast she ran after him, she could never quite catch up to him.

* * *

7.45 A. M.

The first sunrays of the morning illuminated the room, bathing it in a soft golden glow.

Treize lazily opened his eyes, using one hand to shield them from the bright light, and reached next to him with the other. The spot where his Lucrezia was sleeping the night before was now empty. _Why did she leave? Where did she go?_

He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Lucrezia's number. The Iphone lying on the floor on the other side of his king-sized bed responded immediately with a loud, obnoxious ringtone. Treize was starting to feel worried. It wasn't like her to leave without saying anything, or to leave her things. Then, realization sunk in and the truth hit him like a ton of bricks.

_The Race is today, and Zechs is there_. Treize quickly dressed, rushed down the stairs and almost knocked over Lady Une when he bumped into her on his way down.

"What time is it?" Without questioning him, Lady Une cast a quick glance at her watch.

"It's five to eight, sir. Is something the matter?"

"Lucrezia left. We spent the night together, and I think... - "

Une tried her hardest to stay strong upon hearing this piece of unwanted information, but she felt a pang anyway. She'd been deeply in love with Treize for several years, and at first she thought Treize and Noin's relationship was purely platonic, but apparently things between the two of them were more serious than she suspected. Fighting back her tears, she tried to reassure Treize.

"Mr. Treize, she could have simply gone home without wanting to wake you. Why don't you visit her a little later, or give her a call?"

"She left her phone in my room." He took it out of his pocket and held it out to her face, as if presenting evidence in court.

"The Race is starting today, in less than an hour!"

"Yes, that's right, it's all over the news. What are you implying, sir?"

"Get the car. I know for a fact that Zechs is there, and Lu might be about to do something stupid if I can't put a stop to it in time."

"Right away, your Excellency."

'_There is still time. Please let there be time'_

* * *

II.

April 17th, A.C. 196

Lucrezia Noin arrived at the abandoned parking lot at exactly five past eight. Hastily dressed and unwashed, she was already breaking a sweat in her lieutenant's uniform under the warm April sky.

A young man dressed in a light brown uniform with a bored expression on his face asked to see her I.D. card. She handed it over, and he inserted the card into a sophisticated looking computer that looked strangely out of place in the rural stillness.

Her name, address, ID number and rank were printed on the card in bold unforgiving letters. There was no turning back now. He waved her forward, and she slowly approached the others with shaky, unsteady legs.

A lot of participants were already hanging around the heavily guarded parking lot. Some of them were wearing backpacks, probably stocked with food and drinks, and Noin wondered if she should have thought of that.

She looked around for a while, but couldn't see Zechs anywhere. Maybe he hadn't arrived yet. Maybe he chickened out. _Yeah, that would be funny. Especially since I can't.'_

"Hey." A dark haired man about her height walked over to her and waved. She extended her hand, feeling slightly like an idiot.

"Hi, I'm Lucrezia Noin."

He shook her hand and smiled. "My name's Andrew Walker." He looked at her curiously, but not in an unfriendly way.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm getting a little nervous. That's the worst. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let us wait."

"How much do you weigh?"

Noin shrugged. She wasn't used to that question.

"Uh, well, I'm not exactly sure, I think about a 100 …but it's all pure muscle!" She made a weak attempt at flexing her almost nonexistent biceps. Walker chuckled at that and stretched his arms above his head.

"Good one. I'm about one – seventy. They say the heavier guys will have a harder time, but I think I'm in pretty good shape." To Noin, he looked more than in 'pretty good' shape. His thin shirt showed off his muscular chest, making his body look defined and very strong. He had a sweater tied around his waist in case of rain. This man would have no problem walking all the way to the Sanq Kingdom.

Noin wondered if the heavier boys would really tire out quicker, but decided to keep that thought to herself. Walker sat himself down in the shade with an improvised lunch of Pepsi and chocolate chip cookies. He seemed to be lost in thought, and dismissed her entirely.

Most of the men were sitting and having some kind of picnic on the ground. One of them, a young chestnut haired boy with an emo cut was sitting by himself. He was very skinny, with almost impossibly long legs, but Noin had no doubt in her mind that he was not going to give up easily.

_'All right, I'll just have a few sandwiches and then head on home.'_ She grinned at the thought, but her eyes didn't smile. This was no laughing matter.

Zechs Marquise was already there when she arrived. He was sitting peacefully in the shade by himself. Though she couldn't see his eyes very well behind the silver mask he always wore, his entire posture showed a calm determination.

When she caught his eye, he rose and walked over to her slowly. He honestly wasn't surprised to see her. Ever since arriving at the parking lot (at 7 a.m. sharp), he had a feeling she'd show up right before the start of the Race.

_'She probably wants to talk me out of doing this,'_ he thought.

Zechs returned from a mission in the Colonies just five days ago, and hadn't spoken to Noin yet. Without giving it a lot of thought, he signed up for the Race, hoping that maybe this would give his life some meaning again. He knew he had to face her eventually, and had been preparing himself mentally for the past few days. He'd gone over the possible conversations in his mind over and over, and he still had no idea how to explain the massacres he'd seen. Or how to say he couldn't just call her because he had no goddamn idea what to say to her, how to explain the emptiness inside his soul.

"Noin, what are you doing here?" His voice sounded harsh and his clenched fists indicated that he was getting angry.

"Hello Zechs. You're looking at the official replacement for number 42. Long time no see. I think we still have about an hour. We should probably sit down, rule number 14 is conserve energy when possible, remember? Wanna grab a soda and catch up?" To his utter surprise, she was smiling.

He couldn't believe she was acting as if nothing had happened at all. As if instead of being separated for nearly two years, it had been just two weeks. He'd been waiting hours to see her, and the last time he'd made himself so sick and nervous had been the day before taking the SAT's. Noin was always able to handle stress better than him.

"We? What the hell are you talking about? Noin, there's still time to back out. They would understand. I'll help you." He placed a hand on her back, and tried to guide her back to the parking lot.

She pushed him away and shook her head.

"No, there isn't. You know the last day to back out was yesterday. Besides, I want to do this. I can do this. I'm not backing out, maybe for the same reason you're not." Zechs saw in her eyes that she was serious, and it frightened him more than he was willing to admit.

Zechs' hand froze. "You don't understand why I'm here. You, you should go, Lucrezia."

He rarely called her by her first name, so he had to be serious about this. However, she shrugged him off and turned around, trying to look for Walker again. He was hanging out with some other guys; they all seemed to know eachother. She joined them and offered her name. A tough looking guy grinned and punched her shoulder. "Another one to bite the dust!"

"Trant Clark's the name. Walkin's my game." He said this in absolute seriousness.

"Aren't you ladies scared?" Clark glanced around the group of men gathered around him. Some looked unaffected, but others were starting to look around nervously.

"You know, last year when the Race started, one of the guys, a scrawny little thing, froze. He couldn't move when the starting shot went off. He got his 3 warnings and was shot right there at the starting line." He pointed to a dark spot in the distant road ahead of them. Everyone stopped talking for a moment.

Why would Clark say something like that? Was he trying to freak everyone out? Noin desperately hoped her legs wouldn't freeze when the feared starting shot came.

"We probably ought to take it easy at the start." One of the guys said. "It doesn't matter if we get warned then. We'll start over with a clean slate again in an hour, anyway."

"Do you have the time?" She asked for the second time, more to break the ice than anything. Clark's watch informed her it was 8.25. Impatience and anticipation came flooding back, and for the second time that day Noin felt like an idiot for not having brought her own watch.

After a few more minutes, a car was heard driving into the abandoned parking lot. A young blonde man named Carter jumped up. He spoke with a Southern drawl. "He's here, fellas! The man himself."

'The man himself,' was Duke Dermail, of course. A large limousine drove up to the wooden marker indicating the start of the road and stopped abruptly. Two soldiers came out first, and Noin felt a chill run down her spine when she looked at them. They were carrying heavy army-type rifles, meant to kill a target in a single shot. _Not just any target, us._

Several men got up to greet the duke, but Zechs and Noin didn't. After an initial look, Walker sat down again and resumed his daydreaming. The skinny boy sitting on his own hadn't even noticed anything out of the ordinary. He fascinated Noin, and she wondered if he'd make it far.

The duke finally got out of the car, and stood before them in full military attire. A small black pistol was strapped to his belt, and he rubbed it nervously. He was holding a clipboard in the other hand.

"Good morning gentlemen. I'm not here to bore you with a long speech, so let's start right away. When I call your names please come up and get your number. Then, go back to your places and sit down until it is time to begin. Do this in an orderly manner, please."

"Allen."

A tall heavyset man with red hair dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt stepped forward and strapped his large plastic number 1 to his chest.

"Anderson."

A young looking blonde wearing a blue track suit walked up to him and received his number.

The skinny loner was apparently named Trowa Barton, and he was given number 6. He received his number without saying a word to anyone, and immediately returned to his spot under the oak tree.

This went on till 8.45. When Noin's turn came the duke showed no emotion but clapped her on the back once and wished her 'good luck', with a smile which was obviously forced.

Zechs was number 75, and Walker 82. When the last man got his number, five of the soldiers started distributing bottles of water and belts filled with food concentrates.

"All right, everyone. We're about to get started." The duke pointed to the starting line. "Please line up in tens. The order doesn't really matter, so feel free to stay with your friends." Noin suddenly felt sick to her stomach. This was real. It was about to begin. She frantically looked for Zechs in the crowd.

"Zechs!"

"I'm here." There he was, standing behind her. She reached for his hand, and he clutched it tightly. Feeling immense relief, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately until Carter pulled them apart.

"There's no time for that, dumbasses! The race is gonna start any minute now, so quit screwing around and get to the goddamn starting line before y'all get a warning!"

They made their way to the wooden marker together. In the final moments, before the official start of the Race, Noin's anticipation was greater than her fear, and she just wanted to get the show on the road already. The road ahead of them looked very long and dark.

"Today's gonna be hot as hell. You guys better make sure you drink enough water-"

"Shut up Carter!" Zechs, Noin, Walker and Clark hissed in unison. Now was not the moment to be lectured, just before the start. Noin and Zechs were holding hands now, and when she looked at him she could feel his feelings for her never changed. She forgot about Treize, the war, and the Race. All she could feel was happiness for having found him again. For a very brief moment everything was right in the world.

Duke Dermail watched his stainless steel chronometer very carefully. He had pulled out his pistol and raised it in the air slowly. One hundred men watched him carefully, and the silence was enormous and immense. In that moment, the silence was everything.

He broke the heavy silence with his only words of encouragement. "Good luck, men. And…god's speed."

The shot went off.

* * *

April 17th, A.C. 196, 9. 07 A.M.

Treize's heart was beating uncontrollably as Lady Une pulled the car up in the abandoned parking lot. The only evidence anyone had been there previously were several discarded soda cans and candy wrappers, and his Lucrezia was nowhere to be found.

"Stop the Race right away!" Treize sprinted towards the road, where a fence to keep people out was being set up by soldiers. Viewers were never allowed to watch the start of the Race, to keep the Racers from losing their concentration. The cameras placed everywhere alongside the road would start broadcasting in about an hour.

One of the guards recognized Treize and headed towards him. "Your Excellency, the Race has already started. Please don't try to interfere. If you attempt to cross the line, we will have to use force. Those are the orders given to us." One of the guards, a young man wearing a green uniform, looked at him with an emotionless expression on his face. When Treize disregarded their warning and approached them anyway, both soldiers grabbed hold of his arms and pushed him back. A third guard slowly raised his gun and pointed it in Treize's direction.

Lady Une felt panicky all of a sudden, and in the spur of the moment, she pulled out her own gun, forcing the soldiers to release Treize and stand down.

"Don't even touch Treize! For this I'll have your jobs!" She forcibly dragged him away from the fence, leading him away from the road and tenderly caressed his shoulder. She could feel his despair, but there was nothing she could possibly do to help him now.

"Sir, you can't do anything for her right now, please, let's leave this place!" The tears were flowing now, Lady Une could see them.

"I know my uncle has something to do with this. Please get him on the line as soon as possible, maybe I can still do something. Make a deal with him, maybe."

She doubted that would work, but nodded and instead of saluting him, as she would normally do, she took his hand when they walked away.

"Sir, are you going to be alright?"

He nodded, but his lip trembled slightly as he slowly walked away from the road. Lady Une loved him for this. She watched him go with barely concealed sadness, wishing furiously there would be a way out of the race for Noin.

* * *

When the starting shot went off at exactly 9 o'clock, and Noin didn't freeze, nobody froze. Everyone started marching at the same time. Zechs passed the wooden marker with Noin and Walker at his side. The sound of boots and sneakers on cold pavement was very loud.

* * *

**AN:** I don't own Gundam Wing. I loosely based the idea for this story on The Hunger Games, (I don't own that either.)

The running contest is only the first challenge, and more Hunger Games elements will be included in later chapters. Sorry if the romance parts aren't very well written, I'm kinda new to that, but still wanted to try because I love this pairing. Also, don't forget this all takes place in an alternate universe, so be prepared for the many inconsistencies you'll undoubtedly find :)

I increased their ages a little, Noin and Zechs are 22 and 23 in this fic, Treize is 26 (mainly because this way, he doesn't qualify for the contest anymore.) Trowa stays 15, making him the youngest. Wu Fei is 20. The other Gundam pilots will be introduced later and for the sake of the story they'll be slightly older as well. Having said that, I'd like to give special thanks to Oreasa for proofreading my fic and fixing my mistakes :) You rock, and really helped motivate me to get more into writing.

Please leave me a review if you want to comment on anything, or just to let me know you liked it and want to read more! This was just an intro, and the following chapters get better ;)


	2. On the road

**Chapter Two: On The Road**

* * *

April 17th, A.C. 196, 9.35 A.M.

I.

They came out of the shade, and the first rays of the spring sun warmed up the road and brightened their spirits.

Noin kept up with Zechs. She felt pretty good. The group began to spread out as everyone started to find their own pace and speed. The small radar dishes planted everywhere alongside the road were turning busily, monitoring everyone's speed with a built-in computer, to make sure no one dropped below 6 miles an hour.

"Warning, warning number 6!"

A robot voice in a megaphone broke the concentrated silence.

Zechs got startled and searched around for Noin. She was walking next to him with her number 42 strapped to her uniform jacket, looking every bit as surprised as he was. A sense of relief overcame him, and he swore he would never forget her number again. The person who did get the warning was Trowa Barton. He seemed unphased by it though, and kept on walking by himself with a 1000 mile stare on his face.

"That was a smart move."

"What do you mean, Zechs?" Noin looked at him with a puzzled look on his face. They had literally just started, and Trowa got a warning already.

"He's testing the waters. That guy took a warning when he's still good to go so he got an idea as to where the limit is. You know that if he manages to walk for an hour without getting another warning, he'll lose the first one. He'll be home free at 10.30."

The starting post started to drop from their sight as they descended onto a slope, with a view of a dense forest growing close to the road. At the moment they were quite far away from civilization, the nearest city being almost 150 miles away. They were expected to make it there by dawn.

"I know he'll walk off his warning in an hour." It was in the rule book. Everyone is given three warnings, but the fourth time a person falls below 6 miles an hour, they were out of the Race. If you had 3 warnings and managed to walk for 3 hours, you'd be safe again.

Zechs fell silent after that for a while, unwilling to even think about the consequences of getting 3 warnings, and decided to make it his personal mission to make sure Noin didn't get any warnings. Hell, he made that decision the moment he saw her at the parking lot. When he finally spoke again, it was quietly, but he knew he'd get the message across.

"You're here now, and we're in this together. Try not to get too attached to the others. They're not your friends, they're your competition. Just remember that in the end, you'll have to lose in order for them to win so don't expect any help from any of them."

Then, with a barely audible voice he asked her the question he already knew the answer to. "Why did you follow me here?"

Noin stared at him for a moment, her dark eyes blazing. Her fear and anticipation concerning the Race were temporarily replaced by a sudden burst of anger. "I almost didn't. But I changed my mind, because I'm not like you. I don't run away when things get tough. I don't blame my stress and problems on the war with the colonies! I've always been there for you when it mattered the most, and all you've ever done was run off to fight yet another mission, conquer another base, for months and months without even so much as a phone call! Do you have any idea how lonely I've been?"

Zechs angrily cut her off. "And you've been looking for a cure for that loneliness in Treize's bed? Do you take me for a fool?!" His words were like a slap in the face, and she almost stopped dead in her tracks. Luckily her legs worked almost automatically, as if her body remembered this was serious shit. Noin could feel her legs starting to tremble. _'He KNOWS? Oh Jesus fucking Christ he knows.'_

Her first instinct was to laugh his remark away, and then cover it all up with lies, but she knew Zechs could see right through her. He always could.

Zechs gently took hold of her shaking hand and kissed it lightly. "I know I haven't been there for you. I'm sorry. You know it's not easy for me to say this, but, I love you."

This was a rare confession from Zechs, he was never very open about his feelings, but when he did say something, he meant it.

"It's all over between me and Treize now. Why else would I be here?" He cut her off.

"Before you say anything else, I just want to know one thing. Do you love him?"

Noin tried her hardest not to think about Treize's warm smile, his sky blue eyes, the softness of his lips and especially not about the many passionate nights they spent together.

"No. Not like you."

Zechs and Noin joined hands again and fell silent after that. Zechs felt relieved. They had cleared the air and talked out most of their issues. He finally understood how she felt, and he truly believed they could move past this and be together. _'If we make it out of here alive, that is.'_

"Boy howdy, you guys sure are lucky the cameras ain't working yet! The press would have a goddamn field day with y'all, hahaha!"

Carter had to duck and run away as fast as his legs could carry him to dodge a left hook from Zechs.

* * *

Two other men received warnings, even though they had left less than an hour ago.

Several guys had disconnected from the main group. They were running effortlessly at 8, maybe 9 miles an hour. Noin had to fight the temptation to speed up and join the guys at the front. It would be best to conserve energy whenever possible.

She almost jumped up when she felt an unfamiliar hand on her shoulder.

"Don't run too fast at the beginning." Noin looked over her shoulder.

A young, intense looking Chinese boy with his hair pulled back in a ponytail had joined them. Noin couldn't remember his name. As if possessing psychic abilities, he offered it before she could ask.

"My name is Wu Fei Chang. I come from the L5 Colony."

"I'm Lucrezia Noin."

Wu Fei tried to smile at her, but it looked forced and unnatural. He didn't really like the idea of defeating a woman, it was in his nature to defend the weak, not to eliminate them, but in this particular case he didn't have much of a choice.

When she turned her head for a moment to check on Zechs, he studied her closely. She was wearing what appeared to be a higher officer's OZ uniform.

Wu Fei furrowed his brows together, he just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that a girl, high ranked or not, was deemed worthy by the duke to compete with him in The Race.

When he spoke again he made special effort to make his voice sound as gentle as he could manage. "Let me give you a word of advice, woman. You have to pace yourself, focus only on yourself. I for one, have a strategy."

Walker shrugged. "What I'm focusing on is picking 'em up and putting 'em down. Running ain't no rocket science."

Wu Fei curled his lip in contempt and moved away from them.

"Talk to me if you want any decent company." He spat out the last word, his eyes lingering on Zechs and Walker, the idiots.

Walker took a bite from a Mars candybar. "What crawled up his ass and died?"

"He probably lost half his marbles at the start of the Race," Carter chimed in from behind them.

To Noin, Wu Fei had been kind and sounded pretty level-headed, at least until a guard called out "Warning, warning 29," about 5 minutes later.

"What are you morons looking at? I've got a stone in my shoe" Wu Fei said angrily. The soldier didn't reply. He jumped out of the truck and stood at the side of the road opposite Wu Fei, waiting.

Wu Fei stopped completely, sat himself down on the road and took off his shoe without a care in the world. He didn't even flinch when the soldier gave him a second warning about a minute later. Instead, Wu Fei shook out a tiny pebble, put his sock back on slowly, and proceeded to stretch both legs.

"Third warning, final warning, number 29!"

"Oh, damn," Walker said dryly. Noin squeezed Zechs' hand as tightly as she could. She didn't want to look at what was about to happen, but she couldn't look away either. She could almost hear the Chinese boy's death watch ticking, the sound was deafening. What the hell was that guy thinking? They were all walking backwards now, never taking their eyes off Wu Fei.

"Oh boy, it's gonna happen! That dumb sack of shit is gonna be the first one to die!" Carter was bordering on the verge of panic, almost screaming.

"Come on, kid!"

Just as the guard was about to raise his gun, Wu Fei rose slowly, brushed some dirt and sticks off the knees of his white pants, and broke into a trot to catch up with the group.

"You know, you guys all look retarded walking like this!" He passed Trowa, who didn't even acknowledge him.

Noin couldn't believe what she just saw. How could he play with his life like this? Did he not take this seriously at all? Was this all a stunt to unnerve his competition? She clenched her fists, feeling like an idiot for falling for his little show so easily. Wu Fei winked at Noin, his dark brown eyes glistening.

"Do you see now? It was all part of my plan. I got myself a little rest!"

"You really think that?" Noin said, her voice a pitch higher than usual. "All I saw was you getting 3 warnings."

For a moment, the rage was back and she wanted to punch Wu Fei in the face badly.

Walker nodded in agreement with her, a grave look on his face.

"You're on thin ice, buddy. For your lousy 3 minutes you have to walk three goddamn hours! And why in God's holy name did you need a rest? We just started, Jesus tapdancing Christ!"

"Stop using the lord's name in vain, assclowns!" A black man yelled when he passed them by. Walker and Wu Fei disregarded his comment and leered at each other intensely.

"We'll see who gets it first, you or me. I have a plan," Wu Fei sneered before turning to walk away.

"Your plan and what comes out of my ass bear a huge resemblance," Carter said. Wu Fei snorted and strode past them. Noin couldn't let him go without a parting shot.

"Just...don't stumble. They won't warn you again." She didn't know if he even heard her, and let her head sink with a defeated sigh. Trowa clapped her on the back once. This was the first time the boy showed any kind of emotion, and she could swear she could almost see a small smile on his face.

* * *

II.

At exactly 9.52 A.M. by Zechs' watch, the Duke's jeep breasted the hill they had just started down. He was standing up and faced the racers opposite the pacing halftrack and raised a battery-powered megaphone to his lips.

"Congratulations, racers. I'm proud to let you all know you have just completed the first five miles of your journey. I would like to remind you all that the longest distance a full team has ever completed is 14 and a quarter miles. I trust you all to better that record! Good luck men."

The jeep sped away, and Noin desperately wished Dermail would lose his footing and fall out. The news struck her like lightning. Not even fifteen miles, that was so much less than she would have guessed. She hadn't expected anyone to…lose the race until nightfall, when muscles would be getting sore and spirits low. She had been worried about Trowa and his first warning at the beginning, but now it seemed like Wu Fei could get it any minute now, all he needed to do was fall below speed once the next hour.

Conversations between the other guys lulled. Some men were speculating how much ground they would be able to cover.

Someone said half a dozen guys at the front of the group were still going strong at seven miles an hour. Someone else said it was ten. Someone told them authoritatively that a guy up ahead was flagging and had been warned twice.

They finally passed a small village with a gas station and several houses. A few old folks were sitting outside on lawn chairs. They were busy eating a picnic. An elderly man raised a beer as a salute to Noin and grinned, his eyes glittering. Standing on the threshold of what appeared to be her house, a young woman held out her daughter so she could see the racers. The kid didn't look a day past four, and Noin wished that woman wouldn't let her watch when one of them inevitably was out of The Race.

A little after eleven fifteen, they passed a sign that said TOWN OF GATWICK 10 MI. Wu Fei Chang let his mind wander, and thought of the only Race he had ever seen in person. He had been 9 years old, and everything about it had seemed so overwhelming back then. He had eaten six hotdogs and nearly threw up when he saw them. His most vivid memory was one boy that had been screaming at the top of his lungs.

Every single time he put his foot down he had screamed: I can't. I CAN'T. I can't. I CAN'T. But he went on walking, they all did, and pretty soon the last of them had gone past them and out of sight. Wu Fei had been mildly disappointed at not seeing anyone get shot. How horribly shallow he had been. He gulped as he considered his 3 warnings and prayed his plan would work.

* * *

April 17th, A.C. 196, 17.23 P.M.

Zechs just finished his chocolate bar and washed it down with some water. Most of the others were eating as well, but Noin decided to wait until she got really hungry later tonight. She took a sip from her canteen as well, and poured some on her head. She wiped some sweat from her brow.

"I've never been this filthy before in my life," she stated matter of factly. Behind her, came the dry response:

"A hundred million red Chinese don't give a fuck!" This made her laugh out loud, and she didn't have to turn her head to know it had been Walker. The Race was being broadcast around the world now, cameras and satellite dishes were turning busily, led lights flashing on and off.

* * *

Back at the Khushrenada mansion, Treize had canceled all other appointments as he waited with bated breath for the cameras to bring his Lucrezia up on the large television screen in his room. So far, he had no idea if she was fine, had any warnings, or was even alive. The screen went blank with static for a while, and while Treize could hear several guys shouting and laughing, he couldn't see anything. He could faintly make out a guy singing 500 miles by The Proclaimers. His fellow Racers received the joke with laughter, although Treize could imagine these giggles would turn into groans or insults even, if the singer were to sing this song again tomorrow.

Finally, the static cleared and he saw a blonde man proudly proclaiming they were now 'on TV!'. A dark haired man waved to his spectators, calling out "Hi, mom and dad!".

Several others stuck out their tongues or flipped the cameras the bird. He saw Wu Fei Chang, who laughed his sarcastic laugh, and Trowa Barton, who acknowledged the cameras with no more than a brief nod, and after enduring another half a dozen more guys making obscene gestures, he finally saw her. She was walking at the rear of the group with Zechs, Walker, Carter and Trowa. They had linked arms together and were smiling and occasionally waving.

"Thank God, she's fine." He traced her face on the TV screen with his fingers, and wished for nothing more than to be close to her instead of having to watch from afar. His phone rang and he picked it up. It was Lady Une.

"Are you watching, Treize?"

"Yes, she seems fine. For now."

"Do you still want me to proceed with the plan?"

"Yes."

An annoyed sigh at the other end of the line.

"Very well sir, I'm coming to get you, and we'll meet her at the next big town. According to the map, it's called Oakwood Town, about 70 miles away from where they are at this instant. In order to make sure we reach her before dawn, we have approximately 11 more hours. Are you absolutely sure you-"

"Midi, please, my choice is made." She nodded, realized he couldn't see her, and then abruptly disconnected the call.

Treize felt bad for hurting her with his reckless behavior. He was well aware of the fact that she more than liked him, although she was professional enough to never let it show, but in this case, he didn't have much of a choice. If he couldn't get Lucrezia out safely, he would have to take her place.

He had tried to reason with his uncle, begged him even, to let Lucrezia out of the Race. He had simply laughed at him and claimed he'd get over his pathetic little crush and move on with his life soon enough. But when Treize looked at her beautiful, concentrated face, he simply knew he couldn't, and wouldn't ever get over her. That's why he would attempt to take her place in the Race tomorrow morning, even if it meant getting shot. He didn't care anymore, he just wanted her safe.

"Hold on my darling, we'll be together again soon," he whispered softly to his distant lover. He settled back in his chair, never once taking his eyes off the screen.

* * *

III.

April 17th, A.C. 196, 21.25

The shadows were getting longer as the darkness fell over the road. Zechs concentrated on Wu Fei's advice. He still felt good and strong, but his legs were starting to hurt. Noin was experiencing similar problems, and believing she could walk off the pain, she started to walk faster.

"What's the hurry?" Walker asked. He was still smiling. He didn't seem to be in any kind of pain.

"Oh, right. Rule number 7: slow and steady wins the race. Thanks, Walker."

"Don't thank me too much. Look, you're a nice person, Lu, and I like you, but I'm also here to win. We can have fun and shoot the shit together, but if you fall on your ass, I won't pick you up. I ain't no Athos and you ain't D'artagnan, you know what I'm saying?"

"I get it. No musketeers. I feel more of a Don Quichote anyway, you know, trying to do the impossible." She smiled back at him, but her smile felt a little cold. The reality of the Race came back seeping in and shrouded the group in silence.

"On the other hand," Walker continued softly, "we're in this together, and we might as well have a good time."

"Amen!" The black boy who had called Wu Fei an assclown grinned at the pair. His name was Jones. He produced a flashlight out of his backpack and shone the light on his face.

"Do you guys know any scary stories?"

Zechs shook his head.

"Not exactly my cup of tea, sorry. I find horror stories to have paper thin plots, and they usually have to rely entirely on special effects to make any kind of impression."

Jones blinked, looked at Zechs for a second and asked the others his question again.

"You guys know the one about the killer clown who skulks around at night who eats kids?" A guy named Smith asked.

"That's gay," Carter replied.

"That's not scary at all," Noin concurred.

"Ok I got one, a story about a demon," a guy named Anderson said. "I heard this one from my granddad, and he's a pretty good storyteller. It's been like a month since I heard it though, so bear with me." Anderson cleared his throat and continued with the story.

"Once upon a time there was a guy, let's call him Dave. Dave went camping in the woods with his mates. In the middle of the night, Dave left his tent to take a piss in the woods when he saw this dude standing there. The dude introduced himself as Mr. Friend. I s'pose it's obvious to you guys that he's the demon. He could bend his neck in all kinds of weird angles and didn't blink at all, not even once. He pretended to be separated from his own group and asked Dave for help. Being a nice guy, Dave decided to help him find his buddies."

Zechs rolled his eyes. "Who'd fall for that? I would never follow a strange guy with a bent neck who calls himself Mr. Friend."

Anderson was starting to get angry. "Y'all wanna hear the rest of this or not?"

"Yeah!"

"Then shut yo goddamn pie holes before I whoop yo asses!" Jones hollered from behind the group.

"Anyway, as I was saying,…Anderson continued. After a while, the two came upon a deserted shack without any windows. Dave was starting to freak out. He could sense something was up. He felt scared and disgusted and he tried to leave, but Mr. Friend dragged him into the shack with his inhuman strength. Dave couldn't leave if he tried, some otherworldly force kept him inside the cottage. He was sitting there when this Mr. Friend thing started to lick the walls and bend his head in all kinds of angles. Dave asked who he really was and what he wanted from him. It responded: 'I am the surgeon of souls. A demon to some, angel to others.' When Dave begged to be released the thing changed shape and screeched: 'But you must see!' with a satanic voice, laughing in all kinds of voices and shit. When he tried to rip Dave's heart out of his chest, our brave hero pulled out a crucifix out of his jeans pocket and forced the thing back.

The cross didn't deter the monster, but caused it some pain and forced it to reveal its true form. My grandpa said he was never really told what the demon's true form looked like. He said it was too horrible to put into words. Anyway, it ripped the crucifix right outta Dave's hands and swallowed it whole. He then knelt down and tried to make a bargain with Dave, for his soul. If he could retrieve his crucifix he was allowed to go free. The thing opened his mouth and inside his mouth there was this claw like thing, holding the crucifix. You guys know, kinda like the Aliens things where they have mouths coming out of their mouths except it was a hand?" Nobody answered, they all seemed very interested in Anderson's story. Even Trowa was listening carefully, his head cocked to the left slightly so he could hear them better.

"Go on, then what happened?" Noin asked.

"I was just about to tell you. Christ on a bike, can't a guy have a drink of water? Anyway, Dave was up till his elbow in the creature's foul mouth, careful not to cut his hand on the thing's sharp rotten teeth. The hand slowly relinquished the cross, and when he handed it over, it squeezed Dave's hand. My grandpa said that when it touched his hand, Dave envisioned the demon torturing him for eternity in that shack, under a perpetually dark sky with big, bloodred stars...

Anderson went on for a good ten minutes, getting a couple of laughs out of the guys as he embellished his grandfather's story beyond the point of being even remotely realistic. A few others tried to scare the rest as well, and failed, but the distraction helped to make most of the runners forget they've been on the road for nearly fifteen hours. A full moon was resting high in the sky as a nearby clock tower struck midnight. Fifteen hours on the road, and nobody died. Yet.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank my beta reader Oreasa once again for looking this over :) also, thanks to all readers! Not much happened this chapter, but this might change very soon..

Please don't forget to drop me a review if you wanna see more!


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